Groundwater Quality Assessment in a Hyper-arid Region of Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Groundwater is an important source of livelihood in regions where rainfall is scanty, surface water sources are absent, and all domestic and agricultural needs are fulfilled with groundwater. This study deals with groundwater quality assessment in a hyper-arid region using multivariate statistical analysis. A total of 43 samples were collected and analyzed using principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis to model the relationship and interdependence among the various physicochemical variables contributing to groundwater quality in the study area. The results of the statistical techniques showed that the variables are in strong correlation with each other. Cluster analysis proved to be a good tool to ascertain the spatial similarity between the contributing variables. The methodology adopted in the present study has been found to be effective and can be utilized to establish strong water quality monitoring network in similar areas.